The reason why our native peoples celebrated the Day of the Dead on the first and second of November is closely related to the seasonal moment we are experiencing. Although the name and origin of the dates or celebrations are different, both have a connection with death. While Halloween is a Celtic tradition and the word comes from ‘All Hallows’ Eve‘, an Irish pagan holiday that has been celebrated for more than 3,000 years, the celebration of the Day of the Dead is a custom that originates in Mexico and is to pay tribute to loved ones who are no longer on Earth.
Day of the Dead and Halloween, these are the similarities
We haven’t reached winter yet, but we are already beginning to feel the change in the vegetation, the colors of the leaves that turn orange and brown and begin to fall, and the trees that begin to doze waiting for the arrival of spring. Even the fields are filled with orange flowers, the autumn fruits carrying this beautiful color like the large pumpkins typical of this season.
From today until November 2, the veil between the world of the living and the dead is lifted to allow there to be a communion between this dimension and the afterlife. And not only pre-Hispanic cultures knew it. Many people criticize that in Mexico the celebration of “Halloween” is being adopted more and more every year, but many are unaware that the reasons why this celebration of Celtic origin takes place almost on the same dates as the Day of the Dead are practically the same. themselves.
What do you celebrate in common?
One of the main aspects in common is that both use similar symbols such as pumpkins and skulls, coupled with the custom of going out to ask for a skull in the case of Mexico and Latin America and ‘trick or treat’ in the United States and some European countries.
Another coincidence is the religious intention of both celebrations, in addition to mysticism, especially on Halloween with its costumes of witches, skeletons, ghosts, and even little devils, while on the Day of the Dead, the tradition is accompanied by a special bread for the occasion, of the skulls and the cempasuchil flowers cannot be missing, with which a path is made to guide the deceased when crossing the portal to reach the altar where they are waited for with the foods that they liked most in life.
Understanding your relationship with death
Halloween has its origins in a Celtic holiday known as Samhain, which derives from Old Irish and means the end of summer. Samhain celebrated the end of the harvest season in Celtic culture and was considered the Celtic New Year, which began with the dark season, that is winter. The ancient Celts believed that the line connecting this world with the Otherworld (that of the dead) narrowed with the arrival of Samhain, allowing spirits (both benevolent and malevolent) to pass through it.
Family ancestors were invited and honored while harmful spirits were warded off. As Samhain was the nighttime festival to welcome the New Year, the custom among the Celts was to leave food and sweets outside their homes and light candles to help the souls of the dead find their way to light and rest next to the Sun god, in the Summer Lands.
It’s the turn of the Day of the Dead
Speaking of our country and our original cultures, in all the cultures of ancient Mexico (Mayans, Olmecs, Mexicas, etc.) death occupied a very important place. The ancient Mexicans thought that the Spirit of men was immortal, that is, that there was a place where the souls of the dead went. The Nahuas or Mexicas called that place Mictlán. All the dead go to Mictlán regardless of how they behaved in this world (that is, there was no concept of “good” and “bad”, therefore there were no rewards and punishments). However, not all the dead were the same.
The trip to Mictlán was dangerous. The dead had to cross a very deep river, climb mountains, fight wild beasts, etc. For this reason, when a person died they were buried with an offering, which consisted of obsidian knives, enough food and drink for the trip, and a dog to accompany them, and if the dead person was an important person, they buried him with some servants. It is because of this that we also put the light (candles) on our altars to show the way back to our dead (ancestors), the fruits that symbolically express that we are subject to a constant evolution between cycles of birth, life, death, and the Renaissance.
This story was written in Spanish by Perla Vallejo in Ecoosfera
